Love one another.

One of the greatest commandments of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the commandment to love one another. There is no better example of this than Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. They love each one of us with a love so infinite and so perfect that it goes beyond our comprehension. This love is manifested in many ways -- through guidance given to us by ancient and modern revelations of the prophets, the creation of the earth upon which we live, the everlasting sacrifice offered by the Savior to save the world from sin. There are countless ways in which we experience the effects of that great commandment to love one another.

Oftentimes, I feel the love of my Father and my Savior through the acts of others. As children of God, we have the opportunity to show His love through service and be the answer to someone else’s prayer. This is a sure outcome when we follow promptings from the Spirit. One of my favorite examples of this is found in the Book of Mormon in Alma 8 when Alma is commanded to return to the city of Ammonihah after being rejected and cast out by the people there. Alma was faithful and obedient to this commandment and returned speedily to the city by another way, as it says in verse 18. Because of this, he was met by an equally faithful and obedient man -- Amulek -- who had followed promptings from the Holy Ghost. This account can be found in Alma 8:18-27. After Alma asks Amulek to receive him into his house, Amulek gives this reply, “…I know that thou art a holy prophet of God, for thou art the man whom an angel said in a vision: Thou shalt receive. Therefore, go with me into my house and I will impart unto thee of my food; and I know that thou wilt be a blessing unto me and my house”. Amulek had been prepared to answer the prayer of his fellow man, Alma. Later, Alma blesses Amulek and his household twice (verses 22 and 26). These two were some of the greatest missionaries found in the Book of Mormon because of their ability to love others, bring to pass miracles, and touch lives.

I was reminded of this concept last Friday while visiting Temple Square in Salt Lake City. There, I met two sister missionaries from Mexico serving in the Visitors’ Center. It was wonderful speaking with them and hearing about their experiences. They helped me to remember that the small, daily acts we do for others, especially when we cannot see the outcome or “fruits” of those acts, really do mean something and make a difference. Simply loving others allows us to feel a small part of what our Heavenly Father and Savior feel for us. This is essential in developing the pure love of Christ and becoming more like Him. Today is an excellent day to set goals of serving others and answering the prayer of someone in need. I know that as we put forth an effort to do so, “God [will provide] a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore [we become] a great benefit to [our] fellow beings” (Mosiah 8:18).